


Girls' Night

by stardustkr7



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Original Character(s), Sleepovers, just for fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 04:44:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15700410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustkr7/pseuds/stardustkr7
Summary: If she had simply stayed in her quarters and continued meditating, she could have avoided this entire conversation. As it were, T’Pol now had four slightly tipsy junior officers staring at her, waiting with baited breath for her assessment of experiencing physical intimacy with their senior officer.





	Girls' Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is me stretching my writing muscles after a long break from fanfic and also trying out writing for a new fandom. Khalida and Maria are OCs but I've seen others use Anna Hess so I borrowed her. Trying to just get a feel for the characters and the universe in a silly setting. Please enjoy.

The door to her quarters slid open and T’Pol was startled to see Trip standing there, a hand outstretched towards the panel for the door chime. 

“Oh,” he said a little sheepishly, putting his hand down. “Going somewhere?” he added, glancing at her up and down, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a small smile. 

She guessed it probably seemed unusual for her to roam the corridors of the ship in her robe, pajamas, and slippers. 

“I have plans for this evening. Did you need something?” T’Pol asked. 

She felt more than saw the slight tensing of his brow at her words. While she was getting much better at adjusting to the level of communication humans, particularly this human, needed from her, she knew she still had a tendency to be abrupt. At least she could feel through their bond when his question still lingered. 

Still, Trip backed up to allow her to walk past and finally exit her quarters. “I just wanted to drop by and say goodnight and apologize for missing you at dinner,” he said, falling into step next to her as they walked down the hall. 

“I understood you were busy in engineering,” said T’Pol. She knew enough about him at this point in their relationship that this probably was a larger slight in his mind than hers. They had been dining together most nights anyway. “I had dinner with Ensign Sato and Lieutenant Ramirez,” she added. 

“Ah, well that’s good,” said Trip, nodding. He glanced back at her again as they stopped at the turbolift. “So, where are you heading now?”

T’Pol hesitated slightly. Hoshi had been somewhat clandestine with her instructions. Was this meant to be a secret? But the longer she stood there and debated with herself, the more unease and confusion she could feel from him. 

She was, after all, in her pajamas. 

“Ensign Sato invited me to a … social gathering in her quarters this evening,” said T’Pol as they stepped into the elevator. 

“A social gathering? Like a party? And she didn’t invite me?” said Trip, following her inside. He might have sounded incredulous but she knew from his smile that he wasn’t actually offended. 

“I would extend the invitation to you but she made it very clear it was a female only gathering,” she said with a hint of reluctance that she hoped he would pick up. 

He laughed a little. “A girls night in, huh? Like a slumber party?”

Slightly surprised at his familiarity with the ritual, T’Pol nodded. “Yes, that was the terminology she used.”

They got off at the next floor. 

“I’m glad she invited you,” he said, still grinning fondly at her as they made their way towards Hoshi’s quarters. 

“Even though you wished to spend time with me this evening?” 

“Well,” he said, his voice lowering, “I always wish to spend time with you, T’Pol.”

“Tomorrow night perhaps,” she suggested. 

“It’s a date.”

They stopped near the door and she could faintly hear voices inside. 

“Try to relax and have fun tonight. I think you’ll find the experience valuable,” Trip said, still clearly amused. It was not exactly reassuring. Usually this particular look came out when she was about to experience something that was very uniquely human or very awkward. Or both.

“I will endeavor to commit myself fully to the experience,” she said. 

He leaned down and lightly kissed her cheek. Warmth flooded through her and she closed her eyes for a moment until she got that little flutter of affection for him back under control. Her attachment to him could be so dizzying at times.

“Goodnight,” said Trip. 

“Goodnight,” she echoed back. 

With a slight nod, he turned and headed back for the turbolift. She stood for a few seconds and watched until she was suddenly cognizant of where exactly her eyes had drifted on his body as he walked away. It was not an unpleasant view.

Shaking away those most illogical thoughts about his form, T’Pol turned to the door and pressed the button for the doorbell. 

She heard voices and footsteps and then the door opened. 

“Commander, you made it!” said Hoshi brightly, ushering her inside and closing the door behind her. “Come in, we’ve only just started, have a seat anywhere.”

For a few moments, T’Pol stood and took stock of the room. There were three other women besides herself and Hoshi. And from the looks of how comfortable they all seemed to be with each other in such a cramped space, she could guess that this was not the first time they had participated in this particular female bonding ritual. At least she had understood the dress code correctly; all four of the other women were dressed in various loungewear and pajama type clothing. 

Lieutenants Anna Hess from Engineering and Maria Ramirez from the Armory were lounging on the bunk, Anna sitting with her legs crossed while Maria stretched out with her chin propped up on an elbow. Ensign Khalida Nejem, a newer addition to the crew since they were last on Earth, was curled up on the desk chair near the window, hugging a pillow. She was not wearing her usual black headscarf that completely covered her hair but instead had a loose, colorful scarf hanging from her shoulders over her pajamas. Ensign Sato was also seated on the floor on a folded up blanket for some cushion. 

T’Pol also noted a bottle of bright pink liquid, most likely some kind of liquor, and a few glasses on the floor in the middle of the group. The other women were looking at her warily as she sank to the floor. 

“So,” Hoshi began, clearly determined to make this slumber party work, despite the awkwardness that their first officer had inadvertently brought to the group. “Commander, since this is your first human girls’ night, there are a few, uh, ground rules.”

T’Pol nodded. “I will do my best to honor the rules of this ritual, Ensign.”

Hoshi started pouring out the liquid into the glasses. 

“Well, first off, we leave ranks outside the door,” said Anna cautiously. 

“Of course, we are all off duty. You may all address me by my name,” T’Pol agreed. 

“And anything discussed here doesn’t leave this room,” Hoshi added. “The secrets shared at a slumber party are considered sacred, between girlfriends.”

“Yeah, so they better not make it into any formal report on our records,” Maria said, with more bravado in her voice than in her expression.

Hoshi started handing out the filled glasses, handing one to T’Pol last. Technically, crew weren’t supposed to be keeping alcohol in their quarters but this rule, among others, was one that the Captain did not seem interested in strictly enforcing as long as everyone was doing their job. For the sake of consistency in command structure, T’Pol would not have made any sort of report anyway. 

“I understand. I promise I will not divulge any personal information I learn,” she agreed, taking the glass. 

The tension in the room lessened considerably. 

“Great, then let the girls’ night begin,” said Hoshi, holding up her glass as a toast, the others mimicking her, and then downing the whole thing. 

Hesitantly, T’Pol sipped at the pink liquid, her nose wrinkling slightly at the taste. Perhaps she would leave any more alcohol consumption to the other women. 

“It goes down better if you just knock it back in one gulp,” Maria advised her, tipping her own glass in demonstration. 

“It’s okay, I don’t really drink much either,” said Khalida, smiling and setting down her still mostly full glass. 

“I see. What is the next procedure?” T’Pol asked, still not convinced. 

“Well, the procedure is meant to be flexible. We just hangout and have a few drinks, talk about things,” said Hoshi with a shrug. 

“Depending on how much we drink, we might get to teach you one of the oldest and noblest of sleepover games, truth or dare,” said Maria while the others giggled. 

“In fact, I believe that before you arrived, Khalida was just about to fill us in on what exactly happened in the gym the other day with a certain helmsman,” said Anna, smirking and looking pointedly at her. 

Khalida grimaced. “Oh god, I made such an idiot of myself,” she groaned. 

T’Pol watched as the others listened to Khalida explain how she had tripped in front of Lieutenant Mayweather in the gym. She observed them laughing and teasing, the sense of sympathy for her embarrassing encounter. The usual for gossip. 

“And then he offers me a hand and I actually squeaked! I don’t even—I squeaked! Where did that even come from?”

The other women were roaring with laughter now. 

“I just can’t help it, I get so nervous around him!”

“You’ve got it bad.”

“His smile is so beautiful and his arms! His arms are like this big!” Khalida held up her hands approximately twenty centimeters apart. “If the ship ever broke down, he could probably just get out and push.”

“Oh! Oh, next time, you should pretend you sprained something so he has to carry you to sick bay,” Maria suggested. 

“Phlox would totally play along,” said Hoshi nodding. 

“Oh no! I’m not setting foot in the same room as him ever again,” said Khalida emphatically. 

“You may find that a challenging task,” T’Pol said, surprising herself a little as she spoke up. “It is a small ship.”

More laughter. Khalida groaned again. “I am doomed.”

“Besides, how will he ever get to know you better and find out what a cool person you are and how much you two have in common?” Hoshi said supportively. 

“Trust her. Hoshi is pretty good friends with Travis,” said Anna, nodding. “In fact, I think we were a little surprised when our two star bridge ensigns didn’t end up pairing off,” she added thoughtfully. 

“He’s like my brother! Besides, after the hundredth time he’s played some dumb joke on you, it’s hard to see him as anything else. Even if he is cute.”

“Not to mention, you’ve had your sights on another bridge officer,” said Maria teasingly. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Hoshi, sitting up straight and attempting to look casual. 

T’Pol was figuring out how this worked. Much of this part of the ritual seemed to revolve around talking about struggling romantic endeavors. The alcohol consumption was not the only policy she had apparently been sworn to secrecy about tonight. The infamous fraternization rule was also one that the Captain seemed to give a wide berth to and considering her own position with the Chief Engineer, well… she could understand it may appear hypocritical for her to insist enforcement. 

“I believe they are referring to Lieutenant Reed,” said the Vulcan. 

“What-- how—how did you know about that?” Hoshi said, alarmed. 

“In the past six weeks, I have observed a thirty percent increase in the number of times Lieutenant Reed looks at you while on duty,” she reported. She might be Vulcan, but she was observant. “I have noticed a similar increase in the time you spend watching him.”

“Hah! A thirty percent increase? He won’t be happy to know he’s not as sneaky as he thinks he is,” Maria said, cackling. “Not to mention, you guys keep missing movie night. So, spill, chica.”

“You did promise you would explain yourself,” Anna added when it looked like Hoshi was about to argue back. 

“Okay, okay, fine. It’s not much to tell, to be honest. There have been a few, um, meetups in a deserted cargo bay,” said Hoshi, looking both embarrassed and pleased with herself. “Malcolm is a very good kisser.”

The other three giggled again. T’Pol held back her inclination to frown. It was decidedly un-Vulcan like to disclose information about private and intimate encounters. But it was very human, especially among humans who considered each other close friends. And she was beginning to get a small inkling that eventually the attention would turn in her direction. 

“So what else is he good at?” Khalida asked innocently. 

Hoshi sighed heavily. “All we’ve done is make out a few times.”

“You haven’t even slept together yet?” said Maria. 

“No. We’ve barely had more than twenty minutes together! Mister Rules and Paranoia himself seems to think it’s less suspicious if we don’t disappear for too long,” Hoshi explained, clearly frustrated. “You know how gossip is on this ship.”

There were colloquial terms that T’Pol recognized but wasn’t sure if she fully comprehended the meaning. Humans had so many different euphemisms for various physical acts in varying levels of politeness and vulgarity. 

More of the pink liquor had been poured out and passed around. 

“You wish to have sexual relations with Lieutenant Reed,” T’Pol stated her understanding of the situation. 

“Oh she definitely wishes!” said Maria loudly. 

Hoshi coughed and was turning pink but managed to say, “I guess some of the phrases we are using aren’t very clear but uh, yeah, basically.”

Anna giggled, “’Making out’ probably isn’t in your standard English to Vulcan dictionary.”

“I am able to derive a meaning from the context,” said T’Pol. 

The other women proceeded to educate her on a few more terms and T’Pol came to the realization that human women had just as much a need for regular sexual release as human men seemed to. Which made the entire policy of fraternization even more confusing to her. Especially if they intended to keep exploring deep space on long term missions. 

It was also interesting to put a few human terms to acts she realized she had already done before.

The bottle was being passed around now, each woman taking a swig without even bothering to pour any out into her glass. Anna passed it to T’Pol, who studied it wearily before pouring a small amount into her glass and passing it back to Hoshi. 

The conversation eventually turned away from Hoshi’s burgeoning relationship with Malcolm, although not before the others playfully encouraged her to try ambushing the tactical officer in his own quarters. And then it was someone else’s turn.

“Ugh, oy vey, those legging she was wearing,” Maria groaned, putting a hand to her face. “It’s just my damn luck. I always fall for the straight girls.”

“You don’t know for sure she’s not into women too,” said Anna sympathetically. 

“Yeah, just because there was that rumor about her and Trip, oh, sorry, T’Pol,” said Hoshi, nodding to her. 

T’Pol was making another attempt at drinking the liquor. This time she took a large gulp like they had done, swallowing it quickly. The liquid burned a little in her throat. It was viscous and sweeter than she would have liked. 

Trying not to let the drink bother her, T’Pol responded, “I am not offended. Maria, perhaps you should try asking Corporal Cole if she is interested in women.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that will go over well. ‘Hey Amanda, how are things? Say, are you into pussy?’”

“That one is a vulgar term for female genitalia,” Hoshi provided. 

“I see. Well, I can assure you, she is not and has not been involved with Commander Tucker for quite some time.”

Anna looked over at her shrewdly. “No, she hasn’t. That’s because you’ve been involved with Commander Tucker all this time.”

The alcohol seemed to burn a little more intensely in T’Pol’s stomach. It was to be expected, of course. She knew very well the entire ship more or less knew there was something between herself and Trip, or at least knew enough to speculate on the exact nature of their relationship. 

She inclined her head slightly. 

“Well…?” Khalida asked expectantly. 

“You wish me to divulge intimate details,” T’Pol guessed. 

“Only if you’re comfortable,” Hoshi said quickly, putting up her hand. Her motions and her words were a little less controlled, a sign of her inebriated state. “I know it’s not very Vulcanish to talk about your sex life.”

“But you have to give us something,” said Anna, “I mean, half the ship wants to know what Commander Tucker is like in bed.”

A part of her was beginning to experience regret for agreeing to this. If she had simply stayed in her quarters and continued meditating, she could have avoided this entire conversation. As it were, T’Pol now had four slightly tipsy junior officers staring at her, waiting with baited breath for her assessment of experiencing physical intimacy with their senior officer. In fact, Anna and Khalida both worked in engineering. And after how well her flimsy “experimentation” excuse had gone down with Trip himself, she could guess that they were also looking for something less clinical and detached. 

Perhaps she should try another swallow of that alcohol, she thought, even though she knew it would not affect her. 

But they were sworn to secrecy just as much as she was. Hoshi had specifically said that secrets shared in this room were sacred. And if they were to trust that she would keep her word, perhaps she needed to trust they would also all keep theirs. 

T’Pol took a breath. 

“The experience was new to me. I had not taken a mate back home yet. Vulcans have a seven year mating cycle and I have not started mine. But I wished to know more about human experiences and Trip and I had grown very close during Enterprise’s time in the Expanse.”

The room seemed especially quiet as the other four listened intently. 

“The physical act of intercourse is essentially the same for our species. I found the experience satisfying, enlightening, and confusing. I understood that there would be physical pleasure but I was not fully prepared for the strong emotional aspect,” T’Pol continued. It seemed like the more she spoke out loud, the more she realized how much she had needed to do so. Perhaps there was something to the human concept of sharing personal information, to put complex emotions into words for someone else to understand. 

“It complicated things for us. Trip is someone who is very open about emotions. Dealing with the new emotions was a challenge for me. For some time, I chose to keep a distance from him. But the incident with Terra Prime helped me come to the conclusion that pushing him away would not help me process what I felt.

“Trip and I have a very strong connection and I do hold a very deep affection for him that could be considered love.”

There was silence for a moment after that pronouncement, each of them taking in her words. 

“Wow,” Khalida finally said in a hushed tone. “That’s beautiful. A little sad but also beautiful. But all good love stories are.”

“What did Trip say when you told him you loved him?” asked Hoshi. 

T’Pol blinked. “He is aware of my attachment to him,” she said. The mating bond between her and Trip was not something to be discussed by anyone outside their relationship. Despite how much he insisted he didn’t care about all the gossip flying around the ship about them, there was no need to add fuel to the fire. 

“You haven’t even said it to him?”

“It is not something Vulcans need to say.”

The other four women looked slightly pained. 

“But I will take it under advisement,” T’Pol said with a hint of exasperation. 

Their expressions softened. There was another beat and then Maria spoke up. 

“Well, mushy stuff aside, I honestly can’t believe you’re all leaving this to the lesbian to ask, but since I’m sure inquiring minds want to know… how big is he?”

Something about the way all their expressions suddenly changed made T’Pol suspect this question was a trap. 

“Commander Tucker is 1.86 meters tall and approximately 80 kilos.”

“That’s not what we mean,” said Hoshi with smirk. 

It was going to be a long night. 

 

***

 

T’Pol stood outside the captain’s quarters, once again beginning to second guess her actions. While the sense of comradery she felt after spending time with the four other human women was a welcome feeling, perhaps it was at too high a cost to her personal privacy and dignity. Yet still, a small voice in the back of her head that sounded suspiciously like Commander Tucker pointed out that understanding human friendships would make her a better, more approachable first officer. 

And she did not wish to offend Hoshi by ducking out before the set conclusion of the girls’ night. 

She rang the doorbell. 

It took several moments before she heard movement from within the cabin and the door finally slid open. 

Captain Archer squinted at her, obviously confused and sleepy. “T’Pol? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” he asked, sounding more alert than he looked. 

“Captain, I apologize for waking you. There is no emergency,” she said. “But I need to borrow your dog for the evening.”

“What?”

“I require Porthos.”

Archer stared at her blankly. 

Perhaps this would not be as simple as she had reasoned it would be. But she knew the alternative, according to the rules of the game, would be a question she would be required to answer truthfully. And after their unsuccessful attempt to cajole her into revealing certain personal dimensions of one chief engineer’s anatomy, she knew exactly what question they were intending to ask. 

So, logically, she chose dare. 

He stepped back and allowed her inside, closing the door.

“Please explain why you need my dog at … one thirty in the morning.”

“Captain, I realize the unusual conditions of this request,” she said, hesitating before pressing on, “I have been spending the evening participating in a social ritual with other female members of the crew. They are instructing me on a game that involves performing some sort of task that is supposed to involve mild embarrassment or awkwardness. I have been tasked with retrieving the Captain’s dog.”

Technically, the initial dare had been to steal the Captain’s dog. But T’Pol had pointed out that it was likely Captain Archer would allow them to have the dog for the night if they simply asked. Maria, who had given the dare, conceded that she would consider it fulfilled if T’Pol returned with the dog regardless of how she acquired it. 

Archer looked even more confused. 

“You’re telling me that a group of women crewmembers are up late playing truth or dare and have roped you into it as well?”

It seemed he was also familiar with this game.

“Captain, you are the one who is always encouraging me to socialize with the crew.”

“I guess I didn’t expect you to be interested in something so … juvenile,” he said. 

“It is fascinating to observe both the differences and similarities in the way human men and women form friendships. I have been asked not discuss the contents of this social gathering. But I can assure you there is no threat to ship safety. Nor do they mean any harm to the dog,” said T’Pol. At least, she believed they did not mean to harm the dog. Most of the crew quite liked him. 

Archer looked at her for a moment, slightly amused now. Then he turned towards the desk and pulled out a leash. 

Porthos, who had been laying on the cushion on the floor, instantly got up and trotted over to his owner, clearly believing it was time for a walk. 

“Don’t let them feed him any cheese,” he said, kneeling down to fasten the leash. Standing up again, he handed her the end. “You can return him in the morning.”

“Of course, thank you Captain,” said T’Pol, trying to ignore the dog excitedly jumping around her at the prospect of a late night walk around the ship. She began to lead him towards the door. 

“And T’Pol,” said Archer, waiting for her to turn back and look at him, “make sure the others understand I still expect them at their posts tomorrow morning no matter how late they stay up.”

“I will inform them, Captain. Good night.”

 

***

 

“Ooohhhhhhh.”

“Wow, show me that again.”

T’Pol knew she was letting this go too far but found herself having difficulties reigning in four slightly drunk junior officers. Well, Khalida wasn’t intoxicated but T’Pol suspected the late hour was having a similar affect. 

Hoshi was sitting in front of her, topless and facing away from her. Maria was leaning forward off the bed, interestedly watching as T’Pol demonstrated a few very basic neuropressure points on Hoshi’s back. Porthos was up on the bunk next to Anna who lazily rubbed his belly. 

“And you said that Amanda was interested in this?”

T’Pol exhaled and demonstrated the posture again. 

After she had returned with the dog, Khalida and Hoshi had both been sent to “raid the kitchen” and brought back armfuls of snacks. The game continued with the other women answering a few “truth” questions, allowing T’Pol a closer insight to each of them. Khalida was very concerned about letting her family down and letting the ship down with her inexperience. Despite her making fun of him and having a crush on one of the rival MACOs, Maria was fiercely loyal to her senior officer, Lieutenant Reed.

And Anna gave her opinion that the “best ass” on the ship actually belonged to the Captain. 

“Prove me wrong, ladies,” she said, putting her hands up as the other three gasped in shock. 

“I mean, I probably would have said Trip,” said Hoshi, glancing at T’Pol. 

T’Pol quietly decided she also would have said Trip but that was mostly because his backside was the one she had objectively paid the most attention to lately.

“I would have said you,” said Maria kindly, looking up at Anna. 

“Really? Thanks!” said Anna, looking genuinely pleased. 

“The captain does seem to wear his uniform very, um, fitted,” Khalida mused, making the others dissolve into laughter again. 

And then suddenly it was T’Pol’s turn to again face the choice between truth or dare. Not wanting to take any chances, she once again choose the only logical option.   
And then was promptly instructed to demonstrate some of those infamous Vulcan Neuropressure postures that everyone was so curious about. 

Hoshi quickly volunteered, eagerly stripping off her shirt before T’Pol had even agreed to the dare. 

“Neuropressure takes many years to completely master. It is best to not perform it without supervision or it may cause damage,” she warned firmly, making Maria frown. 

“Well, I can definitely see how you roped in Trip with this,” said Hoshi dreamily. “I haven’t felt this relaxed in a while. I think I’m a little in love with you too.”

“Lieutenant Reed will be disappointed,” T’Pol said as Hoshi pulled her shirt back on and moved back over to her spot. 

“Hmmm, he’ll get over it.”

Khalida yawned widely, giving T’Pol the perfect opportunity to suggest an end to the festivities. 

“It is nearly oh three hundred. Perhaps we should end the girls' night?” T’Pol suggested. “As I said earlier, the captain will still expect all of us at our stations.”

 

******

 

Trip scanned the mess hall as behind him Malcolm finished loading up his own breakfast tray. He smirked a little as his eyes fell on the table in the back corner near the window. 

Nudging Malcolm, he motioned for the other man to follow him and led the way towards it. 

T’Pol, Anna, and Hoshi were all seated at the table, two out of the three looking pretty worse for wear. Anna was considering a bowl of oatmeal in front of her, scooping up spoonfuls and letting it fall back into the bowl with a weary look on her face. Hoshi clutched a coffee cup, her eyes closed, abandoned piece of toast on the plate in front of her. 

Looking the most awake, T’pol was quietly sipping tea. 

“Watch this,” Trip said in a low voice to Malcolm. He stepped up to one of the free chairs and loudly slammed his tray down on the table. 

Anna and Hoshi both startled and immediately glared at him. T’Pol simply raised an eyebrow. 

“What the fuck, sir?” said Anna, clearly adding the title on as an afterthought. 

The spilled coffee sloshing around on his tray had been totally worth the reaction. Next to him, Malcolm stifled a snort. 

“Mind if we join you ladies?” said Trip smoothly, grinning. 

“Yes,” Hoshi snapped. 

“Well that’s no way to speak to your superior officers,” said Malcolm lightly as the two sat down anyway. 

Trip looked over at T’Pol. “So what’s this I heard about you walking the Captain’s dog this morning?” he asked her. 

She had that wide-eyed expression she usually got when she was about to give a clearly misleading kind of answer. But before she could open her mouth, there was a sort of commotion over by the drink dispenser followed by a squeak of surprise. 

All five of them looked over to see Travis helping a very startled looking Ensign Nejem to her feet. 

“I’m so sorry, Khalida! Wasn’t watching where I was going. Here, sit down, I’ll get you a new coffee,” he was saying, leading her to a nearby table. 

Khalida was mumbling but Trip could hear a few words, “… engineering … late…”

“Fascinating,” said T’Pol quietly, drawing his attention again. 

“What’s fascinating?”

T’Pol glanced at him but did not answer, taking another drink of her tea. Well, fine then, Trip thought, be all Vulcan and mysterious. 

“I heard from Phlox this morning that Lieutenant Ramirez reported to sick bay earlier,” said Malcolm. He glanced again at Hoshi who was rubbing her temples and squeezing her eyes shut. 

“We know about the little party y’all had last night,” said Trip. “What all happened?”

“And how does the captain’s dog fit in?” Malcolm added. 

Anna, Hoshi, and T’Pol all exchanged looks. 

“I could order you to tell,” Trip teased. 

“Lieutenant Hess, Ensign Sato, as of now, you both are under orders to not answer any of Commander Tucker’s or Lieutenant Reed’s questions regarding last night and this morning,” said T’Pol suddenly. 

“Thank you, Ma’am,” said Anna with a sigh. 

Trip looked at her curiously. Now he really wanted to know how last night went. As far as he had known, T’Pol had never been particularly close with any of them yet now she was covering for them. He wondered what had won her loyalty, although now he’d probably never find out. 

He looked over at Malcolm, finding his friend once again unaware of how bad he was getting at sneaking looks at Hoshi in between bites of his breakfast. 

“Alright, truce for now,” said Trip loftily, settling in to his breakfast, determined to enjoy his coffee soaked eggs. 

The others fell silent. Hoshi attempted a few more small bites of toast while Anna had taken to gazing around the room, completely ignoring her oatmeal now. 

Suddenly Anna nudged Hoshi and nodded towards the entrance to the mess hall. 

Trip looked over but just saw Captain Archer walking by, on his way to the captain’s mess, reading a pad as he went. Confused, he watched as both Hoshi and T’Pol seemed to be scrutinizing the captain as he disappeared into the other room. 

“Well?” Anna said as Hoshi and T’Pol looked at each other. 

“You make a compelling argument,” said T’Pol. 

“Even if it does feel a little weird,” said Hoshi. 

“What’s weird? What argument?” Trip asked. He almost added another question about Porthos. 

“It is not a matter you need to concern yourself with,” said T’Pol simply. 

Anna pushed back her bowl and started to get up. 

“I should get to engineering,” she said. 

“You got at least ten minutes,” said Trip. He was an understanding sort of guy and definitely would have forgiven any lateness on her part given her state. 

She grimaced. “Yeah, but it will probably take me that long to find somewhere to throw up on the way,” she said. “See you guys later.”

After she left, Hoshi sighed and said, “I think I’ll head out too. I’m going to stop and see if Phlox has anything for my headache.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Malcolm, a little quickly. “See if Ramirez is going to make it to her post this morning,” he added. 

Trip hid a smirk behind his coffee cup as the two got up and left, leaving him and T’Pol still at the table. 

“Well, that party must have been something judging by the state of those two,” Trip commented, nodding towards the seats that Hoshi and Anna had vacated. 

“It was illuminating,” said T’Pol. 

“So you had a good time?”

“I enjoyed most of the experience.”

Trip looked at her, hoping maybe she would take the hint to elaborate. 

“I have already promised not to speak about it.”

“Well maybe next time I’ll score an invitation.”

“That might make certain topics of discussion difficult.”

She did not elaborate. And he finally decided that maybe there were some details best left a mystery.


End file.
